Description of the situation
28 November 1996
Disease Outbreak Reported
The Department of Health confirmed on 26 November that no new cases of Ebola haemorrhagic fever have been detected. The only two cases reported in South Africa are the nurse who died on 24 November and the patient who came from Gabon for treatment on 27 October and was cared for by the nurse. A total of 350 contacts have been traced to these two cases, 280 of whom remained under surveillance as of 26 November. Fifteen contacts developed some symptoms of illness during the surveillance period and have been further investigated. Ebola fever could be excluded in all.
The patient's air transport from Gabon to South Africa in the company of his wife, a translator and a physician was uneventful. He had no manifestations of illness such as vomiting or bleeding which would have exposed fellow travellers and flight attendants to a major risk. No cases associated with that flight have been reported within the surveillance period of 21 days or later.